


Not Just Another Pretty Face

by Amagifu



Category: Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-13
Updated: 2017-06-13
Packaged: 2018-11-13 17:45:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11190144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amagifu/pseuds/Amagifu
Summary: A submission for TaleTeller's What If Challenge...The first Doctor prepares for his next chapter, even if his companions aren't quite ready.





	Not Just Another Pretty Face

The two companions stood to one side of the TARDIS control room, shaking their heads and shrugging.

"Polly, what's he on about now?"

"Not certain yet, Ben. Rambling again?"

A harrumph erupted from the far side of the room, as their guide stood up from where he had been adjusting a lower panel. "I assure you, Miss Polly, I am not rambling. Though, blast it all, I am quite weary. Cybermen, bah! "

"Doctor, can we help? Just point us to whatever needs doing?"

No, no, Ben, you need not worry yourselves. Things are all in order, just occurring sooner than I anticipated. The regeneration programming has been set."

"Regeneration? What's that, now?"

Polly spread her hands in utter confusion. "Doctor, please speak plainly."

"I am speaking plainly! Now listen! The appearance will be altered, as it should be, according to my formulas. Afterwards, we can get out from this Cyberman mess."

"Appearance? What, you're giving the TARDIS a face lift?"

"No, Mr. Jackson; I mean altering my my own appearance."

As the Doctor fidgeted with various controls on the center console, muttering under his breath about subroutines and access, Polly and Ben shared a quick bewildered glance.

Ben murmured, "He's gone off the deep end for certain this time."

Polly paused before answering. "Maybe not, Ben, maybe not."

She took a step forward. "Hold on, Doctor; if you wanted to change how you look, you could just get a haircut or something, right?"

The Doctor paused in his knob-twiddling and straightened up. To her eye, he suddenly looked far more frail than ever, and sounded equally tired. "It is nowhere near that simple, Polly, and not always as easy to control when it occurs as one might think, when working together with a TARDIS. But, considering that our last tangle with the Cybermen left my image firmly imprinted in their collective mind's eye, changing appearance to something more unassuming would be prudent."

Ben gestured vaguely towards the entrance. "So, what, do you fly back to your home or - oh!"

"Doctor?!"

The Doctor, having leaned suddenly towards the TARDIS console, faltered in his grip and crumpled to the floor. His companions jumped forward to help, but the sudden flash of light coming from their prone guide gave them pause. At the edge of hearing, Ben could hear what sounded like the Doctor's voice, rattling off mathematical equations, but he couldn't see any details of the Doctor through the increasingly bright light.

Polly gasped, and Ben involuntarily stepped back, as the light spiked to a painful brilliance. As it disappeared, the TARDIS seemed eerily silent. 

The companions blinked frantically to clear the afterimage of the light, but the sight they beheld refused to compute with what they knew they had seen a few minutes earlier.

"Who..."

A deep breath, and the figure on the floor suddenly sat bolt upright. He began to pat himself down in seeming satisfaction, chuckling to himself.

"Ah, well then! Arms, legs, nose, ears, everything present and accounted for. Hair seems a bit tamer, excellent."

He glanced up at the two humans, who gaped at him in shock.

"What are you standing there trying to catch flies for? Did I not say repeatedly that my appearance would change?"

"...Doctor?"

He rolled his eyes. "Of course, Polly! Who else would I be?"

The Doctor scrambled to his feet, smoothing down the plaid trousers and dark suit jacket as he faced his companions. So, what do you think? How did I do? Dashing? Roguish?"

His audience failed at keeping a straight face, Ben finally guffawing out loud. Polly took a more diplomatic approach. "Doctor, your hair makes you look like an older George Harrison."

The Doctor blinked, then grinned, ignoring Ben's gaffe. "Beatles, eh? Good, good, I was aiming more for Paul but George will do. Well, we should blend in just fine, then, when we return to Earth."


End file.
